Jail Time

Last night I dreamed I was in jail. As the dream evolved I realized I was the one who had actually built the jail and even chosen my jailers. Amusingly, I could leave my cell everyday for lunch and then return again later.

When I awoke this morning I wondered...is this what I do in my life...create my own jails and hire my own jailers? I would have to say...yes, I do. I construct my cell of daily pressures, disappointments and annoyances then choose my jailers from those I perceive expect too much, cause me stress or let me down. I lock myself up.

Yet, I have the key to my freedom, right in my pocket. After all, in my dream, I opened the door and took a break for lunch! Just before I woke up, the jail vanished and I expanded to fill its space, all beauty and light. Lying in bed, I set an intention to bring more freedom into the day. So despite all of the twists and turns in my imperfect day, I opened several jail doors and fired a few jailers and came through the day happier and very grateful for my freedom!

In the Dark

The power went out in our neighborhood the other night. I had so many things planned for the evening and there I was in total darkness. At first every step was uncertain; what would I bump into? I kept thinking it would end any minute and there would be light again. Then I got it...why try to navigate when I could just relax and soak up the darkness? Instead of being uncertain; I decided to be curious and open to the "mystery." I found that as I became more present in the darkness, the more light there seemed to be. The moonless sky was brilliant with stars stretching into space. I began to recall memories of starry nights long ago; my imagination began to play and the night became magical. Who needs the electric grid?!?!!? We really do have the power to create our own light.

New Moon Meditation

The Moon is in the darkest part of her cycle today, the New Moon, when the light dies away and we linger and await its renewal. During this time, from the depths of the darkness our deepest emotions can swim to the surface. We all know the dark emotions of fear, anger and grief and can recognize their effects in our everyday lives. On an energetic level, these emotions can short-circuit our loving nature. They can muddy our relationships, cloud our judgment and even clog our organs and cells.

In the darkness of the new moon, take a few moments in meditation to sit quietly with your emotions. Pick one…fear, anger or grief. Acknowledge the thoughts or the story that is attached to that feeling. Then let it go and sit with just the emotion. Don’t resist it. In fact, acknowledge it, give it the respect it deserves! Just let it become detached from you. Be an observer of it. You may discover that the emotion does not seem so dark and troubling. In fact, as the light of the moon returns you may step into that light and find it shining through to your more truly creative and joyful nature.